family-run

IPA/fˈamɪliɹˈʌn/
IPA/fˈæmɪliɹˈʌn/

family-run — adjective

1. describes a business, hotel, or farm that is owned and managed by the same famil

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a business, hotel, or farm that is owned and managed by the same family, rather than by a large company or corporation

Example

Diego spent his summer working at a family-run restaurant that has been serving the same neighbourhood for forty years.

attributive use: family-run + restaurant

The Okonkwo family's grocery store is family-run and well-loved for its friendly service.

predicative use: be + family-run

Common collocations
  • family-run business
  • family-run hotel
  • family-run restaurant
  • family-run farm
  • family-run company
Synonyms
  • family-owned

    focuses on ownership; a business can be family-owned but managed by non-family staff, whereas 'family-run' implies active daily management by the family

  • family-operated

    very similar, but slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech

  • mom-and-pop

    informal US term for very small, traditional family businesses such as corner shops or diners

Antonyms
  • corporate

    owned and run by a large company rather than a family

  • chain

    describes a group of identical stores under central ownership

Grammar Patterns

family-run + noun (attributive)

be + family-run (predicative)

Usage Note

Typically placed directly before a noun (a family-run business) or after a linking verb like 'be' (the shop is family-run). The noun that follows is usually a type of commercial establishment: business, hotel, restaurant, farm, store, inn, or company.

Common Mistakes

The business is family-ran.
The business is family-run.
The compound adjective always uses the past participle 'run', never 'ran'.
a run-by-family business
a family-run business
The correct order is noun + past participle, not a longer phrase.
Idioms

run in the family

idiom

used to say that a particular quality, ability, or medical condition is shared by several members of the same family, especially across different generations

Musical talent runs in the Aisha family — her grandmother was a concert pianist and her father plays guitar.

Blue eyes run in the Wen family, so no one was surprised when the baby was born with them.

Word family

  • family
    nounA1
  • run
    verbA1
  • family-owned
    adjectiveB2
  • family-operated
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four terms describe businesses that are not part of a large chain, but they differ in emphasis. 'Family-run' highlights active daily management by family members — the family is on site making decisions. 'Family-owned' focuses on who holds the ownership; a business can be family-owned but professionally managed by outsiders. 'Mom-and-pop' is an informal US term for a very small, traditional family business such as a corner shop or diner; it carries a warm, nostalgic tone and is rarely used for larger operations. 'Independently owned' is the broadest term, covering any business not owned by a large corporation, regardless of whether a single family is involved. For example, a small bookstore owned by one person who runs it alone is 'independently owned' but not necessarily 'family-run'.

family-run ↗family-ownedmom-and-popindependently owned

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • family-run + establishment

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The compound adjective 'family-run' combines the noun 'family' (from Latin 'familia', meaning 'household' or 'servants') with the past participle of the verb 'run', which has meant 'to manage or direct' since the 16th century. The term emerged in the mid-20th century as a descriptor for small businesses personally managed by their owners, contrasting with the post-war rise of large corporations and franchise chains.